The Raven
by Elphaba Weasley
Summary: The team finds themselves investigating a string of murders in Western, Maryland. Creepiness ensues when Reid discovers the connection among all the murders is a tie to one of Maryland's most famous authors. The team also finds that a local student is getting a little too close to their resident genius. Will the team be able to piece together the UnSubs clues before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or any of Edgar Allan Poe's stuff. I'm just an insane (and poor) fan. Please don't sue me. You wouldn't get much anyway seeing as I dropped my most valuable posession in the toilet today rendering it both valueless and useless.**

Reid sighed as he walked into the bullpen late again. The only problem with insomnia is when you do start to doze of you forget you need to wake up. His anxiety and dread grew as he noticed that his entire team was in the conference room waiting to be briefed on their latest case. They were waiting for him.

"Sorry I'm late guys." Reid apologized as he sat down between Morgan and Prentiss.

"You feeling okay Pretty Boy?" asked Morgan concerned taking note of the prominent dark circles surrounding his eyes and the larger than normal cup of coffee in his right hand.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I had a long night." Reid explained. Morgan nodded in understanding. He knew that among insomnia, nightmares, and headaches the youngest member of his team just never seemed able to catch a break at night. He couldn't help but worry when it would finally break the young genius. Or worse yet, if he'll ever know for certain if it was a sign that Reid was succumbing to his mother's disease.

"Okay fellow fighters of evil I think we have our work cut out for us in this case." Garcia, the team's tech analyst, said as she passed out the case files.

"What're we dealing with today baby girl?" asked Morgan.

"Well, so far we have three victims all of different races, genders and ages killed all in different ways in a small town in Western Maryland."

"Different victimology and MO's? How do they know it's all being done by the same UnSub?" asked Prentiss.

"All the victims did have one thing in common." piped in Hotch, "They were all found with what appear to be verse or quotes written on parchment with blood. The local police have someone deciphering the handwriting now. It appears to be written in old almost calligraphy-like handwriting. Reid when we touch down I want you to see if you can connect each excerpt. If anyone can do it, it's you."

"They can't get it to us sooner?" asked Reid as he began to question the legitimacy of this police department.

"It's only about a 30 minute flight." explained Hotch.

"To where exactly?" inquired JJ.

"Smithsburg, Maryland."

"Where the hell is that?" asked Rossi.

"That's what I said." stated Hotch as he got up from the conference table. "Wheels up in fifteen."

* * *

Reid: "Edgar Allan Poe wrote 'Science has not yet taught us if madness is or is not the sublimity of the intelligence."

* * *

"Seventeen year old Miranda Getz was found dead in the athletic field behind the school four days ago. The ME said the cause of death was an overdose of a painkiller she had been taking to help her cope with a recent bout of migraines that were believed to be caused by a tumor the size of a lemon that doctors found in her brain about a month ago. The doctors didn't think she was going to survive much longer." JJ paraphrased as she read.

"And they ruled out suicide because of the piece of parchment left on the corpse." said Rossi.

"Precisely," JJ continued, "Forty-seven year old Mrs. Maria Poma was found buried alive in the cemetery by the public library two days ago. She was the school's Spanish teacher."

"That's clearly not suicide." dismissed Morgan.

"The cemetery is right next to the library?" asked Reid in disbelief. "Parchment was found at this seen too?" he asked regaining his focus.

"Yes. It was placed in a plastic page protector and placed on top of the coffin." Explained Hotch.

"This UnSub had access to a coffin?" It was Morgan's turn to be in disbelief.

"Not quite. It looks as though the coffin is of rudimentary design. It was probably just a few pieces of ply-wood nailed together." Reid had finally given the current conversation his full attention.

"How did the police find her?" asked Prentiss

"They noticed a fresh grave and dug it up. No one had been buried there in a few years" said Hotch. "The ME said she had only been dead for a few hours."

"How did they know she was actually buried alive?" asked Reid sensing something odd.

"There were scratches all over the lid of the coffin and Mrs. Poma was missing all of her fingernails indicating that she tried to claw herself out." Prentiss explained.

"How did she die so fast?" questioned Reid as he continued reading the report.

"Mrs. Poma was epileptic. She had a seizure and was unable to get to her medication." explained Hotch.

"So the first two victims where dependent on medication? Do you think that's just a coincidence?" asked Rossi

"I didn't until I read about the third victim." said Hotch. "Eighteen year old Nathaniel Burgee was found hanging by a rope in his bedroom last night. His parents thought it was suicide until the police found a piece of parchment that resembled those found at the other two crime scenes."

"What kind of parents just assumes their kid committed suicide?" Derek asked almost appalled.

"The kind whose son had just lost his girlfriend four days prior." explained JJ

"Nathaniel and Miranda were dating?" asked Reid surprised.

"According to almost everyone in the town they were." said JJ.

"It's not the victimology or MO that ties these cases together." began Reid. "It's those pieces of parchment. I think it will all make more sense as soon as we find out what they say and how they're connected. However, until then I don't think there is much we can really do."

"I agree with Reid. Everyone just relax for now. We'll be landing in Hagerstown in about ten minutes then we'll be driving to Smithsburg." Hotch said with an authoritative tone. Reid laid back and tried to recline in his seat; JJ had already taken the "couch." There's no time like the present for a quick power nap. He knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep on this case and that it was sure to be a long, grueling experience.

**A/N: Hello dear readers. This is my first fic in a while so please bear with me. Sorry for all the dialogue in this chapter…there isn't much you can describe while discussing a case on a plane. Please review! It'll make me happy :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for all of the great reviews! You guys make me feel so special. Here's chapter two! Enjoy. Sorry if it's starting a bit slow.**

"Wake up, Pretty Boy." Reid was gently shaken awake.

"That was the shortest ten minutes of my life." Reid groaned, half joking, causing his older teammate to crack half a smile. The team got off the jet and climbed into two regulation black SUVs. Hotch, Rossi and Prentiss took the first one to lead and Morgan, JJ, and Reid climbed into the second. They drove for about fifteen minutes and it was probably the most diverse fifteen-minute car ride of their lives. The first five or six minutes was spent through the straight-up ghetto. It was the kind of place where you turn off your music, roll up your windows, lock your doors and keep your head down as to avoid eye contact with passerby. The next five minutes were in suburbia, nothing too bad. The last leg of the trip was through a very rural area. The distinct scent of cow manure wafted through the cars air system.

"Good lord, just turn the heat off Morgan." JJ begged. She would rather be slightly uncomfortable than have to inhale the stench much longer.

"So this is Smithsburg, eh?" Morgan chuckled as he switched the heat off. Both JJ and Morgan looked over at Reid expecting him to start listing off statistics about this place that neither of them had ever heard of.

"I don't know anything about this place." said Reid defeated. His other two colleagues looked incredulous. "Well don't look too shocked. I don't know everything."

Finally the team arrived at the police station. It was rather small, with only an office area and no conference room. There were three officers working the station and by the looks of it only about two on patrol.

"Deputy Greenwood. I'm Jennifer Jareau, we spoke on the phone." said JJ as she reached out to shake the officer's hand. "And these are agents Hotchner, Rossi, Prentiss, Morgan and Dr. Spencer Reid." JJ pointed to each accordingly as she introduced them.

"Thank you so much for coming out. We've never had seen anything like this around these parts." The officer had a slight southern twang.

"Have your officers finished rewriting the excerpts yet?" asked Reid getting down to business.

"Yes they just finished actually. They haven't found out how or if they're related yet. " explaind Greenwood as he handed a single sheet of paper to the young genius. Reid's brain immediately went to work.

"Wait a second. There are four quotes here, but only three bodies." Reid quickly interjected.

"The first was found spray painted on the school's front patio last week. At first we didn't think anything of it but now we think it is related to the case." Greenwood explained.

The team left Reid to his thing and continued to discuss the case. "Are the three victims connected in anyway?" asked Hotch.

"I'm afraid not. They all spent most of their time at the school, but that's all we can connect them too." Greenwood said.

"That's usually the main problem we have in cases that take place in such small towns." stated Morgan.

"Okay, Prentiss and Rossi I want you two to go talk to the Burgee's and see if you can learn anything from them. Ask them if Nathaniel had any enemies, possibly ex-girlfriends or rivals. Morgan, I want you and Reid to go to the school and see if you can find out any information from the staff and students, my guess is our UnSub is a student. Also look through Mrs. Poma's stuff and see if she's given any disciplinary referrals lately. JJ and I will go talk to Miranda's parents. "ordered Hotch.

"Poe!" Reid exclaimed suddenly.

"Excuse me?" asked Hotch the others were looking around at each other quizzically.

"All of these quotes are from the short stories and poems of Edgar Allan Poe." Reid explained. "The sidewalk quote, 'Wretches! Ye loved her for her wealth and hated her for her pride' is from the poem Lenore. The quote, more like paragraph, found with Miranda is from the story The Premature Burial. It reads 'There are moments when, even to the sober eye of Reason, the world of our sad Humanity may assume the semblance of a Hell - but the imagination of man is no Carathis, to explore with impunity its every cavern. Alas! the grim legion of sepulchral terrors cannot be regarded as altogether fanciful - but, like the Demons in whose company Afrasiab made his voyage down the Oxus, they must sleep, or they will devour us - they must be suffered to slumber, or we perish.' This might explain why Mrs. Poma was buried alive. The quote found on top of the coffin is from Poe's poem The Raven. It reads 'Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore-For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-Nameless here for evermore."

"What about the last quote?" asked Prentiss

"It says 'Pass your hand,' I said, 'over the wall; you cannot help feeling the nitre. Indeed, it is very damp. Once more let me implore you to return. No? Then I must positively leave you. But I must first render you all the little attentions in my power. It's from The Cask of Amontillado." said Reid. "It's a story when the main character seeks revenge on a peer by trapping him in a wine cellar and building a wall around him, leaving him to die."

"What if these quotes are clues to who is going to be next or how they're going to die?" offered Rossi.

"It's possible, but we can't be certain of anything just yet. Let's get going guys." said Hotch. "Hey Morgan."

"Yeah?" replied Morgan

"Don't scare the kids at the school okay?"

"I'll try not to." Morgan said with a smirk.

"And Reid?" Hotch raised his voice so the youngest agent could hear him from the other side of the room.

"Yes."

"Don't let the kids scare you." Hotch joked causing his entire team plus the Smithsburg Police Department to laugh. Reid just smiled and rolled his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm just so motivated to write this story! Enjoy the rapid updates while they last!**

The car ride to the school was both quiet and short. There just wasn't that much to talk about. Reid had the quotes on his mind; he was almost certain they foreshadowed each murder. Based on the timeline they had about a day to find this UnSub before he/she struck again. The odds were not in their favor. Morgan pulled into the parking lot in front of the school meant for busses and got out of the car. Reid followed close behind them. They climbed the front stairs to the patio that led to the front door. Morgan was surprised to see the message was still painted on the concrete.

"Wretches! Ye loved her for her wealth and hated her for her pride." He read aloud.

"And when she fell in feeble health, ye blessed her- that she died." Reid recited immediately.

"Why am I not surprised you know that?" asked Morgan shaking his head. "Look, cameras."

"So why don't they know who did this?" contemplated Reid. "Chances are it's the same person or someone who knows who's doing it."

"What was the second line of this stanza Reid?" asked Morgan as he rang the bell by the door.

"And when she fell in feeble health, ye blessed her- that she died." Reid repeated.

"JJ said Miranda was terminally ill." Morgan noted.

"She was really pretty too. She was probably really popular. The graffiti explained it all." Reid added. They heard the door click and walked inside to the lobby. The lobby was surrounded on two sides by glass trophy cases detailing the school's achievements in mostly sports but there was one case for the drama club. They noticed a tall official-looking man with braces talking to the school cop who had graying hair and an extremely bushy mustache. The man finished his conversation with the officer and approached Reid and Morgan.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're with the FBI," said Morgan flashing his badge, "I'm Agent Derek Morgan and this is Dr. Spencer Reid." Spencer fumbled with his badge a bit but managed to show it to the man.

"We were wondering if we could ask the staff a few questions and observe the students." Reid added.

"Of course, though you'll have to get a visitors badge from the attendance office first. I'm Mr. Brown and I'm the principal. If you need anything please let me know." said the principal. He pointed them into the general direction of the attendance office and then went on doing his principal duties.

"Can I help you?" asked the secretary.

"Yes. We were told we needed visitor badges. We're with the FBI" answered Reid flashing his badge.

"Okay honey, I just need your names and I.D.'s" she said passively.

"I'm Agent Derek Morgan." Morgan stated and gave the woman his driver's license.

"And I'm Doctor Spencer Reid."

"Okay, here you go," she said as she passed them each a Visitor's sticker to wear on their shirts. "You'll get you I.D's back when you leave. Are you men armed?"

"Yes ma'am" said Morgan motioning to the gun in its holster on his hip.

"Okay, well just be cautious around the kids." she said worried.

"We will." Spencer reassured. He couldn't help but wonder why she would say something like that. He decided that it was one of three possibilities. One being that the students were extremely sheltered, the second being the students were extremely misbehaved and the third being that the secretary was the mother of one of the students.

"That was weird." Morgan said. Suddenly a bell rang signaling the end of one class and the start of another. Morgan and Reid moved closer to the wall in order to stay out of the way. The halls quickly filled with students wearing an array of camouflage and flannel. They also noticed a few wannabe "gangsters" and a few people wearing those nerdy graphic t-shirts but most were definitely hicks.

Reid and Morgan went pretty much unnoticed and when the crowd began to thin out they continued on their way to Mrs. Poma's classroom. They had just turned a corner when suddenly Reid collided with a girl on the other side causing the pile of textbooks she was carrying to spill onto the floor.

"Oh my God. I am so, so sorry." Reid exclaimed as he bent down to help her pick up the books. The girl just laughed.

"Okay Ten."

"Excuse me?" asked Reid confused.

"Oh please, don't try and act like you don't watch Doctor Who. You're wearing a sweater vest with converse for goodness sake." was her reply. Morgan burst into laughter and Reid blushed a little.

"Well played universe, well played." He laughed while shaking his head.

"Are you guys with the police?" the girl asked suddenly.

"Yeah FBI, actually. I'm Agent Derek Morgan and nerd boy over there is Dr. Spencer Reid." Morgan introduced them and Reid shot Morgan a dirty look causing the girl to laugh.

"It's a pleasure. My name is Helen, Helen Marks." the girl introduced herself. "Are you guys here to investigate those three murders?"

"Yeah, I'm sure in such a small school word travels fast, eh?" confirmed Morgan. The bell signaling the start of the next class suddenly went off. "We've made you late."

"Oh don't worry about it, I aid in the library during this period. Do you guys need someone to help show you around?" Helen offered

"Yeah that'd be great."

"Okay just let me drop my stuff off in the library and then we can go." she said grabbing the other half of her books from Reid.

"What exactly are you planning on studying Helen?" Reid asked suddenly.

"Physics. My goal is to get a PhD." She answered. Reid and Morgan raised their eyebrows clearly impressed.

"Sounds like your kind of girl." Morgan joke quietly so Helen couldn't hear him. Reid punched him in the arm and rolled his eyes.

**A/N: So I'm not exactly happy with this chapter, but it accomplished what needed to be accomplished. I might post 4 before I go to bed tonight but I'm not sure yet. Next chapter is going to be Rossi and Prentiss and Hotch and JJ. Reviews keep the dementors away! Thank you all for all the recent follows and reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I was way too tired to post again last night, but alas, here's chapter 4. Enjoy.**

JJ and Hotch pulled into a long driveway that led to an enormous farm house sheltered by a surrounding orchard.

"Wretches! Ye loved her for her wealth…" noted JJ taking in the surrounding area. After the SUV was parked they got out and JJ rang the bell. A woman, who had obviously been crying, answered the door.

"Mrs. Getz, I'm Agent Jareau and this is Agent Hotchner." JJ said, "We're with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions about Miranda?"

"Yes, of course," the woman sniffled, "please, come in." To say the house was beautiful was an understatement. The walls of the sitting room were home to a selection of original classic paintings and an antique grandfather clock was the dominant piece of furniture. Mrs. Getz led them to the living room where she offered them a seat and some lemonade. Hotch and JJ accepted the offer so they could profile the room while the woman was away.

"Look at all the pictures of Miranda." JJ said motioning to the walls.

"She was an only child, this is expected." Hotch replied.

"But look closer, she was in the homecoming court all four years of high school, the captain of the volleyball, cheer, and girls basketball teams."

"So she was popular?" Hotch asked rhetorically.

"Sounds like pride." JJ answered uncovering the meaning to the second half of the quote.

"I think Reid is right about the quotes." Hotch noted as Mrs. Getz came back with a tray of lemonade and cookies. They settled down and then started with the interrogation.

"Did Miranda have any enemies?" asked JJ right off the bat.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Getz was thrown off guard. "What are you implying?"

"Nothing ma'am, we just need to start ruling out suspects. We believe whoever is doing this is a student. Did Miranda ever come home complaining about particular people? Maybe someone who was jealous of her? Or maybe had a crush on her?" Hotch continued.

"Well you see many girls were jealous of my Miranda. She was homecoming queen and captain of the cheer squad. Many boys have tried to court her in the past, but only Nathaniel seemed to make the cut." Mrs. Getz answered.

"Has Miranda ever had any problems with the other students?" Hotch asked net.

"There have been a few over the last few years but nothing too bad. Nothing that would give anybody the excuse to do something as terrible as this." Tears were beginning to well up in the corners of the woman's eyes.

"Of what nature were these problems, exactly?" JJ inquired.

"A few of her friends have turned on her in the past. They found their jealousy got in the way of their friendship." Mrs. Getz explained.

"So it was never Miranda's fault?" Hotch asked raising an eyebrow.

"Oh heavens no! Those girls just couldn't handle being friends with someone much prettier and more popular than them."Mrs. Getz defended her daughter.

"Thank you Mrs. Getz. I think we've got all the information we need." JJ said as she and Hotch got up and left to go back to the police station. When they got in the care they discussed their observations.

"Well it seems like Mrs. Getz thought very highly of her daughter." Hotch said.

"I think she's denying Miranda's roles in those conflicts." JJ stated.

"Why?" asked Hotch.

"Because I grew up around girls like that. Everyone makes excuses for them." JJ explained.

"I don't think the UnSub was out for revenge. I think we're dealing with a very intelligent psychopath." Hotch said.

"Why? I mean the crimes were obviously very organized but considering the relation to Edgar Allan Poe, I think the UnSub is delusional." JJ explained.

"So schizophrenic maybe? I suppose it would make sense considering most schizophrenic breaks happen during the late teens and twenties. Let's go back to the station and see what the rest of the team has to add."

Rossi and Prentiss were inside the Burgee residence, which was almost as big and ornate as the Getz's. However, the Burgee's didn't own an orchard, instead Mr. Burgee was a lawyer and Dr. Burgee was, well, a doctor. Rossi and Prentiss were standing in the kitchen waiting for Nathaniel's mother to control herself again.

"If this is too much for you we can come back later." Prentiss offered. She couldn't even imagine losing a son like this.

"No, it's fine. Just, give me a minute." Dr. Burgee said between sobs. Finally she collected herself and the questions began.

"Did Nathaniel have any enemies?" began Rossi. "Any ex-girlfriends or rivals?"

"No rivals, and I don't think any of his ex-girlfriends would be capable of anything like this." She said. Prentiss made a mental note to look at the ME's report to see if any of the victims had been sedated.

"Was Nathaniel involved with any gangs or drug dealers?" Prentiss asked next.

"Of course not!" exclaimed the mother. "Nathaniel was a star athlete he would never be involved in anything that might make him lose his scholarship!"

"We're not here to offend you, we're just here to get more information about Nathaniel so we can figure out who did this and stop them from doing it again." Rossi explained.

"Do you think the person behind this is going to strike again?" the woman was suddenly hysterical.

"If we're right about the quotes, then yes the UnSub is planning another murder." Prentiss said.

"What about Nathaniel's relationship with Miranda?" Rossi asked.

"Oh they were very happy together. In fact, we found an engagement ring in Nathaniel's room. We thought he was going to propose soon." She said. "He was devastated when we heard about Miranda's murder." With that Prentiss and Rossi ended the interview and went back to the station.

"I think Miranda and Nathaniel's deaths were symbolic."Prentiss said.

"Yeah, Miranda was Lenore and Nathaniel was the narrator who lost his love in The Raven." Rossi said.

"Do you think the UnSub is delusional? Maybe going through a psychotic break?" Prentiss added.

"Maybe but we'll have to talk to the rest of the team and see what they've gathered before we make any assumptions."

**A/N: Wow this took way too long to write. Sorry if it sucks On a side note I learned how to use a week whacker today xD . Please review and tell me what I can do better! I promise the next update will be better. 5 will probably be up by midnight! Thanks for all the follows and favorites!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Chapter 5….no reviews for 4 was it that bad guys? Anyways, Enjoy!**

Helen dropped her things off in the library, told the librarian where she was going, and then led Morgan and Reid to Mrs. Poma's room.

"It's weird that Brown isn't having the sub for Mrs. Poma teach in her room. It's not like it's an actual crime scene. This school is crowded enough as it is." Helen remarked suddenly. She was perched on a student desk near the much larger teacher's desk.

"Your principal did the right thing." Morgan said, "Chances are your teacher was abducted from or around her classroom. She lived nowhere near Smithsburg."

"It looks like she wrote a lot of students up." Reid noted sifting through the mounds of paper on the desk.

"That doesn't surprise me. She was an awful teacher." Helen said emphasizing the word "awful".

"How do you mean?" asked Reid, shocked by her blunt honesty.

"She was just an airhead. When I took her class in sophomore year I had to correct her almost all of the time and I'm not even a native speaker." She explained.

"Would everybody say she was a bad teacher?" Morgan asked. "Did she have a lot of enemies?"

"Oh yeah, but I don't think anybody hated her so much as to kill her." Helen said.

"It's possible that choosing Mrs. Poma as a victim was either symbolic or merely because she was an easy target." Reid stated as he continued to read through the multitude of papers.

"I don't think these murders were personal." Morgan said dropping his stack down onto the desk. "Despite them obviously being planned, the victimology points to either a symbolic cause or opportunity kills."

"Maybe both, Miranda's murder was symbolic to 'Lenore' and she was already terminally ill making the connection even bigger. Mrs. Poma was such an easy target that it wouldn't take much force to make her comply. Nathaniel's was very opportunistic, I mean think about it, he was already upset about Miranda. His death symbolizes the narrator of 'The Raven.'" Reid explained.

"Good job, Pretty Boy." Morgan laughed. Helen laughed too.

"Pretty Boy?" she asked giggling.

"It's a long story." Reid said while shaking his head. "What time does your next class start?"

"Not for another hour and a half." She responded picking up on the change of subject. "Do you guys want me to show around or is there somebody you want to talk to specifically?"

"Well we think our UnSub might be a student." Morgan said.

"UnSub?" Helen asked raising an eyebrow.

"It means Unknown Subject." Spencer answered. "Based on our preliminary profile, our UnSub is definitely young, probably late teens to early twenties. The thorough organization indicates an above average intelligence. It's too early to decide on a gender though. Does this sound like anybody you know of here?"

"No offense, but you just described about a quarter of the school," she said, "Is there anything else I can go by?"

"At first we thought the UnSub was a psychopath, but given the diverse MO's and the presence of these quotes I think they're delusional; maybe schizophrenic or psychotic." Morgan added.

"I haven't noticed any symptoms of psychosis in anybody lately, but they may be trying to cover it up." Helen said. Suddenly another bell rang signaling the start of the second lunch shift.

"I thought you said you had an hour and a half?" Morgan asked surprised.

"I do." Helen stated. "That's the lunch bell. I eat on the second lunch shift."

"Do you mind if we sit with you so we can profile the students?" Reid asked.

"Yeah, I don't care. I usually eat alone anyway." Helen replied looking down at the ground a bit. The two FBI agents followed Helen down to the cafeteria where they were reunited with a world neither had witnessed in a very long time. The cafeteria contained about 30 bench tables filled with young men and women who were producing such a racket that a dull roar could be heard from the second floor corridor that Helen had walked them through. The cafeteria was clearly divided into cliques. Some tables were predominantly preppy and others were for the Goths. Then there were a few tables that housed those who didn't belong to any one niche. There was yelling and screaming and even music from a young man playing a ukulele in the corner. Helen led them to an empty table at the end of the table and sat down not even bothering to get food. "Is this a good place for you guys to do your FBI thing?"

"Yeah, it's perfect actually." Morgan said glancing around the room.

"Why do you eat alone?" asked Spencer suddenly.

"I'm normally studying. I'm taking all AP classes and two classes at the community college this year." She explained blushing a little when Reid produced what sounded like and impressed "Wow."

"Yeah, I've definitely made Senior Year a lot harder than it has to be." She added. They continued this friendly type of conversation while Reid and Morgan prowled the common area looking for people who might match the profile.

"I don't see anybody who might match the profile." Morgan sighed defeated. "We should probably head back to the station now."

"Well it was a pleasure meeting you guys." Helen said. "If you need any more help please let me know."

* * *

Back at the station the team shared their information with each other. In the end they decided that they were looking or a young man or woman in their late teens or early twenties. They were probably an outcast to the neighborhood but friendly enough as to not raise any suspicion. Their UnSub had an above average intelligence and was obviously well read, especially in the darker areas of literature. After a little debate, the entire team agreed that the UnSub was not a psychopath. They all agreed that the UnSub had a mental illness such as schizophrenia or psychosis or, of course, both. They really didn't have much to go by still. It was going to be a long case.

**A/N: okay so I lied about the whole midnight thing but I was close wasn't I? I hope this was a bit better than my last few chapters. Please review so I know if this story is worth continuing. Good night, dear readers!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So I accidently took a three hour nap today so I'll be up until like two or three am xD expect updates! Thank you for your reviews and input! Thank you to CIandSVUcrazy for correcting me! If there is ever any other time when I make a mistake please feel free to point it out! I'd rather fix it than have it sitting there embarrassing me!**

**Disclaimer: This is pretty graphic and the language is a bit obscene. It is rated T so you've been warned.**

Later that day Will Stockslager received a text message from his ex-girlfriend: _Hey, meet me the fb field. We need to talk. _Will was slightly nervous by the suddenness of the request. He hadn't really talked to her since their break-up and admittedly she had every right to be pissed at him, nonetheless he agreed to meet her. The last hour of school went unusually slow and unbeknownst to him it would be the last he ever spent at school.

He rubbed his hands together as he walked down "The Hill" that led to the athletic field. His breath came out in little puffs as he quickened his pace, slightly jogging down the ridiculous slope. He made his way to the bleachers and saw her sitting patiently tapping her foot to a beat that only she could hear. He hoped she would offer to drive him home because there was no way he was walking back up that hellacious, icy slope of death.

"Hey." He said approaching the place where she sat.

"Hey, listen, we need to talk." she said.

"Yeah, I really should've apologized for the way things ended up last month." he said looking down ashamed of what he had done. He couldn't help but remember the only relationship advice his father had given him: Never cheat on a girl.

"I don't want to talk about here. Why don't we go back to my house for a drink? We can talk there, and then I'll drive you home." She offered, "It's freezing out here."

Will agreed without hesitation. Who would pass up free booze and a ride home? He sat down in the passenger seat of her pick-up truck. Almost everyone in Smithsburg had a truck, even those you'd least expect. Perhaps if he had taken the time to look at the contents of the truck bed he would have reconsidered going with her. The short ride was uncomfortably silent and Will sighed with relief when the car pulled into a driveway.

"You can just sit on the couch and I'll pour you something. What would you like?" she offered.

"I'll take vodka and Dr. Pepper." He said and with that she went off into the kitchen.

* * *

"This bastard is going to get what's coming to him." She sneered, not quite herself, but it was far too late to stop this. She poured the drink into a quart glass and added a bit of rohypnol. He'd be much easier to control now. She brought out is drink and a Dr. Pepper for her. They talked for about an hour or so. She wasn't quite sure about what because she wasn't actively listening; she was watching him slowly come undone as the drug took effect.

"Okay Will, I should probably get you home." She said as she got up, pulled on some gloves, and grabbed her car keys. He was so out of it, she had to help him to the car. "Perfect," she thought, "he's going to be completely compliant now."

It took him a while to realize that she wasn't driving in the direction of his house. "Where we gon'?" he asked slurring his words.

"It's a shortcut." She lied. He never challenged her response. They pulled up to a log cabin that had been abandoned years ago. "Come on, get out." She barked.

"Why're we hur?" he slurred.

"For some fun." She replied. Will raised an eyebrow. He thought he was going to get it in. She laughed inwardly at his ignorance as she opened the door to the cabin. She led him in and immediately took control. She began to kiss him passionately as she pushed him up against the far wall, causing him to straddle a woodstove. She was easily able to tie his arms to hooks placed conveniently on the walls. He laughed.

"Mmm kinky." He groaned in a throaty whisper. Then he became unconscious. The girl quickly went to work. Her hands still gloved, she poured some rubbing alcohol onto a rag and wiped the area around Will's mouth. She also poured some in and made him spit it out to remove any traces of saliva from the kiss. Then, she began to build. She had brought in some bricks and mortar from her truck and began to hastily build a wall around the woodstove. Her goal was to trap Will in there. If everything worked out right, he would die from carbon monoxide poisoning in about an hour. The wall was about half built when Will returned to consciousness; she decided it was a good time to get the fire going.

"What are you doing?" Will asked nervously as he took in his surroundings, a slight film of seat coating his body. "What the hell are you doing?" The girl just continued building. She built all around keeping out a brick so she could see the look in his eyes before she left. Will was panicking now. "Let me out! Jesus Christ, let me out!" At this point he was beginning to feel nauseous and had a headache. He looked in his ex's eyes and realized a foreign, feral look in them. She wasn't herself.

She sat back and listened to him struggle for a bit, knowing that she had to make this fast. Someone would be calling in about the smoke shortly. Before she left she took a pocket-knife out of her pocket and reached in and cut a deep wound into Will's cheek. Unfortunately, he was already unconscious so he didn't feel a thing. She took out an antique, bloodied quill pen and quickly wrote the next clue in her special handwriting. The piece of parchment read: "And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave." She couldn't help but smile at the prospect of her next murder. She left the note on top of the wall and left quickly leaving almost everything behind except for her pen, knife and roll of parchment. She went straight home and never looked back.

* * *

Meanwhile, the officers at the station went to work immediately on a call concerning smoke coming from an abandoned house. The team didn't think much of it as Deputy Greenwood and another officer went to check it out. Nobody was prepared for the call they received about ten minutes later.

"The found a piece of parchment and bricks and mortar at the scene." Hotch stated not knowing what to make of this new information.

"Shit!" Reid exclaimed, surprising everyone. They had never heard him exclaim an obscenity like that. "The Cask on Amontillado." He said thinking they'd understand. To his dismay nobody caught on. "The victim was probably built into a wall and is now dying of carbon monoxide poisoning!" The team went into to action. They climbed into the SUV's and Hotch called Greenwood to tell them about the wall. When they got to the scene they found out that the victim, seventeen year old Will Stockslager had already died from the noxious gas. Reid quickly read the new clue and immediately sat down.

"What is it Reid?" Rossi asked.

"The next victim is set to die like in 'The Pit and the Pendulum.'" Reid explained. Rossi raised an eyebrow. "It's a story about medieval torture! The victim is going to be cut in half by a pendulum blade."

"We're not going to let that happen." Hotch said. "We have two days to stop this son of a bitch." With that the team went back to their hotel in Hagerstown; they would continue the case in the morning. However, Reid knew he wouldn't sleep. He had a bad feeling about the next two days.

**A/N: Wow that was a lot of fun! Lol Will was modeled after a friend of mine who told me he wanted to die in my fanfic…I know some weird people. This was a lot longer than usual. I hope you liked it! Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So I just realized that screws up all my indents fro paragraphs and dialogues Dx. Anyways there will be 9 more chapters in this fic and I have 3 days to write them so I need some MAJOR motivation! Enjoy!**

The team met at the police station the next day, all appearing to be in different levels of disheveledness; the events of last night had really taken their toll. However, they all knew they had work to do so they tried to keep as focused as possible.

"Alright guys, I guess we're back to step one." Hotch sighed. "JJ and Prentiss, I want you two to go to the school this time. Try and talk to Will's friends and teachers. Also look for students who don't look as upset as they should be. Reid and Morgan, I want you to go to the Stockslager's house and speak with his parents. Ask about any ex-girlfriends or rivals; this was clearly driven by revenge. Rossi and I will go to the crime scene and see if we can learn more about our UnSub."

* * *

JJ and Prentiss drove to the school and went through the same pass ordeal that Reid and Morgan had gone through a few days ago. They were then directed to the guidance office where they expected many of Will's friends to go for grief counseling; they were right. There were easily five waiting in the small office at any given moment. After their counseling they were asked if they were up to answering a few questions about Will and very few refused. By lunch time, they had learned that Will had been an average student who had a bit of a drinking problem. They also learned that he had almost failed his classes this semester but miraculously passed with the help of a tutor whom nobody could name. Once the lunch bell rang, they went down to the cafeteria to profile the students. On their way down they ran into Helen Marks.

"Hey are you guys with the FBI too?" she asked surprising the two female agents.

"Uh, yeah, do we know you?" Prentiss asked in return.

"Where's that one man? You know the tall, attractive, nerdy one?" Helen asked causing JJ to laugh a bit.

"Reid?" JJ couldn't help but continue to giggle.

"Yeah! Him."

"He and Agent Morgan were assigned to a different location today." Prentiss explained."I guess you had a bit of a run in with them the other day."

"Yeah, I literally ran into Dr. Reid." Helen said.

"That doesn't surprise me." JJ sighed.

"I helped them out a bit too. Well I've got to go back up to the library. Good luck with your investigation, um I'm sorry, but what were your names?" Helen asked adding the question at the last minute.

"I'm Agent Prentiss and this is Agent Jaraeu. Who are you?" Prentiss said, noting the odd insertion into the investigation she had created.

"I'm Helen Marks." The girl stated and with that she went back up to the library.

"Well, that was weird." JJ noted as the continued their way down the stairs.

* * *

Reid and Morgan pulled into a development of townhomes in the nearby city of Hagerstown. They rang the doorbell and were greeted by Will's father.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" he asked with a crack in his voice. He had obviously been crying.

"Mr. Stockslager, I'm Agent Derek Morgan and this is Dr. Spencer Reid. We're with the FBI." Morgan explained.

"Do you mind if we ask you a few questions about Will?" Spencer added.

"Of course not, please come in." was the response. The house was not as ornate as the other two student victims but it was still pretty nice. By the look of the lack of pictures on the walls it was just Will Stockslager and his father. "What can I help with?"

"Did you know that Will wasn't going to be home on time yesterday?" Morgan asked softly.

"No, he doesn't usually tell me stuff like that. You see I'm normally at work until seven so he could do anything without me knowing as long as he was home before seven or eight." The man explained.

"Do you have any idea who he may have gone with last night?" Reid continued the interrogation.

"He has loads of friends and acquaintances. I have no idea who he could've been with last night." The man was about to break down. After a few more question that led to nowhere, they asked one final question.

"Did Will have any ex-girlfriends or rivals? We think this murder was solely about revenge."Morgan said.

"Well his current girlfriend, Perrie was out of town until today, but his last relationship didn't end too well." Mr. Stockslager said.

"What happened?" Reid asked anticipating some information they could use.

"Will cheated on this girl Helen. The relationship was on the down low though. She had tutored him a bit in November and they went out for a bit. Then, he met Perrie and things went downhill for Helen from there." He explained.

"Helen who?" Reid asked surprised.

"Marks. Helen Marks."

Morgan and Reid thanked the man and went back to the station. At least they had somewhat of a lead now.

* * *

Hotch and Rossi were carefully scrutinizing the cabin when Hotch's phone rang. After a brief conversation with whoever was on the other end, he hung up and sighed.

"Who was that?" Rossi inquired carefully looking at a piece of the wall that hadn't been torn down in an effort to save Will Stockslager.

"The ME." Hotch said. "She said that traces of Rohypnol were found in Will's system. They also noticed traces in all the other victims."

"That would explain how the UnSub is sedating them." Rossi said.

"They also found rubbing alcohol all over his lips and inside his mouth." Hotch added.

"Probably to cover up traces of DNA. The UnSub seduced Will into that position." Rossi explained. "We're sure Will was straight, right?"

"Yes." Hotch said. "Our UnSub is definitely female."

"Also look at how the wall was constructed. It's obvious that the UnSub had no idea what they were doing but there's still an effort to be neat and the handwriting is far too smooth to be that of a male." Rossi explained.

"Let's go back to the station and talk to the team. Maybe they've met a girl who might fit the profile." Hotch said and with that they were off.

**A/N: There you go darlings. Hope you enjoyed it. 8 and 9 WILL be up before I go to bed.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Alas, Chapter 8! Enjoy! I am determined to finish this by Sunday!**

The team met back at the station and shared their new information with each other. They were surprised at first by Hotch and Rossi's proclamation that the UnSub was definitely a young woman.

"There was this suspicious girl at the school today. She said she knew Reid and Morgan." Prentiss offered hoping that either of the men would confirm this fact.

"Yeah, Mr. Genius over here totally ran her over when we were at the school the other day, her name was Helen Marks. She's a nerd too. I was sensing some nerdlike vibes between her and our little genius." Derek explained, adding the last part in there to tease his younger team member.

"Derek, she's like seventeen!" Reid exclaimed as his cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "She came up while we were interviewing Mr. Stockslager too. She was Will's ex-girlfriend." He added.

"Did he say why they broke up?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah Will cheated on her." Derek answered. "She could be out for revenge."

"She didn't seem very upset today." JJ noted.

"Bring her in for questioning."Hotch ordered looking at Reid. "She'll probably trust you the most, but first let's get Garcia to dig up some information on her." The called their tech analyst who confirmed that she would have their information faster than Reid could spout a statistic about how fast data travels. Reid opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Garcia, proving herself correct yet again.

"Okay, seventeen year old Helen Ann Marks was born in DC, she grew up in Bowie, Maryland until she moved to Smithsburg for high school. She hasn't got any criminal record, but she does have a GPA that might even rival our Boy Wonder. However she does have a history of therapy since her dad left her mom in 2004. It also appears that she has Asperger's so she might be a little hard to communicate with. I'm sending her address to your phones."

"Okay, thanks Baby Girl." Morgan said.

"Garcia out."

"Reid and Morgan go get her; we need to rule her out before we can continue this investigation." Hotch said and the two men left.

* * *

Helen Marks was sitting in the only interrogation room of the Smithsburg Police Department. She had readily accepted the request to be interrogated when Dr. Reid and Agent Morgan had showed up on her door step. A pretty brunette woman, whom she had recognized from the school earlier, came in and asked her if she was hungry or thirsty. "No ma'am."

"Well then let's get started so you can get home." She said. "Do you know why you're here?"

"I'm sure my name came up when you guys talked to Mr. Stockslager about…Will." Helen's voice cracked as she answered and her eyes welled with tears.

"Do you know anything about what happened to Will?"

"Just what was said in the paper. It said he died of c-c-carbon m-m-monoxide poisoning." She was sobbing now.

"Did you still have feelings for Will Stockslager?" Prentiss asked her voice softening. She recognized the signs of an ex-girlfriend who was still "head over heels" for her ex. She commended Helen for leaving the dirt bag but she still couldn't help but feel bad for her.

"Yes. I only left him because of what he did, but it killed me to do it." She responded still crying.

"Why weren't you more emotional at school today?"

"I have a form of autism. Have you heard of-of Asperger's Syndrome?"

"Yes. It causes the effected person to have a hard time showing appropriate emotion." Prentiss answered.

"I have a hard time showing emotion at school because I'm not really accepted there." Helen explained. "Will was one of the first guys to even listen to me. We had this bond type thing. I can't believe he's really gone." She was hysterical now. Prentiss left the room to talk to Hotch.

"What do you think?" she asked him, not knowing how to interpret what was just said.

"Offer her a polygraph." He insisted.

"Whatever you say." Prentiss walked back into the room and tried to calm the girl down. "Helen, would you be willing to take a polygraph to confirm what you've just told me?"

"Yes, I'll do anything to help you guys out." She sobbed. Prentiss left again to speak with her boss.

"She didn't do it." Hotch said. "This wasn't rehearsed or anything. That was genuine emotion. Reid drive her home."

"Okay." Reid affirmed and went into the room to collect his charge.

The drive to Helen's house was a surprising fifteen minutes into town. It hadn't seemed to drag on this long when Morgan was driving.

"So, do you like it at Smithsburg?" he asked, trying to start a friendly conversation.

"Not really. I just want to get out of here." She responded with a slight reservation; she was still a little shaken up by the interrogation.

"That's how I felt about Las Vegas." Reid laughed. "The only thing that keeps me tied there is my mother."

"She could move to the metropolitan area. I'm sure that would make things easier for you."

"No, you see my mother doesn't trust the government. She would never move her. Plus there aren't any good homes for mental patients around here." He had no idea why he was opening up to this girl.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with her?" Helen inquired with genuine interest.

"She's a paranoid schizophrenic." He said bluntly. He almost didn't notice the slight twitch of Helen's muscles tensing up. "Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

"Y-y-yeah, I'm fine." Helen answered. He brushed the moment off assuming it was just a natural reaction when someone hears about another's mental illness.

"What do you plan to do with you PhD in Physics?"

"I want to be a scientist. I want to explain things that others can't explain and then I want to teach others about my discoveries." She stated and Reid looked impressed.

"Well here's your house." Reid said a bit awkwardly.

"Thanks for driving me home." Helen walked up the stairs and went into her house without another word or gesture. Reid had no idea what to make of the car ride. He drove noticed the late hour on the dashboard clock and decided to drive back to the hotel. He didn't sleep again that night, but he was a lot more relaxed than he usually was.

**A/N: Well, there's that. I hope it's okay. I've never written and interrogation before.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Last chapter for the night, then I can eat some ice cream!**

The next day went incredibly slow at the station. They didn't have any new information and they feared that it would take another victim to learn more. Hotch just did not want that to happen. What they did learn was that the type of torture described in "The Pit and the Pendulum" never really existed, however if this UnSub was as smart as they thought she was she probably had a plan devised to recreate it. Despite the tighter security in and around the school a girl still went missing that day.

"Sixteen year old Perrie Dublin was reported missing by her parents when she didn't come home from school today." JJ announced.

"Wait a second, Perrie?" Reid asked. "She was Will's current girlfriend."

"Do you think letting Helen go was a mistake?" Prentiss asked.

"It's too early to tell. We wouldn't have enough to convict her even if she was behind it. All we have is circumstantial evidence.

"The UnSub took her last victim to an abandoned house in the woods." Morgan said. "Deputy Greenwood we need officers at every abandoned property in Smithsburg."

"On it." Greenwood affirmed as he paged all on duty officers in both Smithsburg and Hagerstown. If only they knew then that they were too late.

* * *

The UnSub laughed at how easy Perrie had been able to control. She didn't even have to use the Rohypnol. She knew the police would catch on quickly so she had to get her work done now. Luckily, no one had ever suspected her working back here in the middle of the forest day in and day out. She couldn't even remember when the first idea had struck her; all she did know was that she was influenced by thoughts that weren't her own. She assumed she was delusional, maybe psychotic, but none of that mattered now that her final plan had been put into action.

Perrie Dublin lay tied to a table in the middle of the room screaming to be set free. Of course, no one would hear her scream all the way back here, at least not until it was too late. Before she started up the mechanism that would end Perrie's life, the UnSub took out her knife and slashed a deep cut into the girl's forearm. She produced a small inkwell and filled it with the blood of her final victim. The last quote was going to be pretty long and she wanted to make sure she wouldn't run out of "ink." She switched the mechanism on and watched and listened with a pure carnal desire to hear the girl's screams. Slowly the pendulum (of the UnSub's own design) began to severe the girl in half.

She wrote out the poem on a piece of parchment and left it at the secondary table. The poem was one of her favorites and foretold much more than the others had, but that's only if someone was bright enough to figure it out. She reveled in the screams of anguish from her last victim once more and then left the cabin and got the hell out of there. It was only a matter of time before the police showed up and she would be caught on her own terms; or at least terms more favorable to her. She was almost certain that one man who always wore the sweater vests would figure her out. She went straight home and cleaned herself up. She hid her murder accessories well enough so as not to be found before her plan could be completed.

She looked outside and saw the bright lights of police cars headed towards Smithsburg and knew that they had found where she left her victim to die. Things were working out perfectly.

* * *

The entire team rushed to the scene. Morgan was the first one in the house almost immediately screaming for a medic. Perrie Dublin had lost a lot of blood and her insides (particularly the intestines) were practically hanging out. This UnSub was one sick-minded fuck. JJ actually had to turn away because the girl's injuries were so bad. They tried extracting information concerning who had done this to the poor girl but she had lost consciousness before she could utter a syllable.

"Damn it!" cursed Morgan. He helped lift the stretcher onto the ambulance and then hopped in for the ride. He held Perrie's hand as they sped through what little traffic the town had to offer at the time.

Reid examined the mechanism (which had been stopped) with an amazed expression. Whoever was responsible for this was truly a genius; too bad they would be spending the rest of their life in prison. The machine itself was made mostly of everyday objects and used fundamental principles of physics to propel itself. After tearing himself away from the stroke of genius he hopped into an SUV with the rest of the team and drove off to the hospital.

**A/N: wow that was kinda short but I figured that was a good place to stop. Now time for ice cream! I'll post more tomorrow. 6 more chapters!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: 10, 11, and 12 will be up today! I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed this story or myself as an author because of this story. Without you guys, I wouldn't have kept writing xD**

The hospital waiting room was maddeningly silent. The entire team was aware that the situation could go one of two ways and either way was just as probable as the other. Morgan had said she had lost a lot of blood, but the doctors were almost certain they'd be able to save her. A few minutes after the team's arrival, Perrie's parents showed up in hysterics. JJ had spent the majority of the wait consoling them. There was an unseen wave of anticipation passing through the room when they saw a doctor approach the room.

"Well, Perrie certainly put up quite a fight," he said, "but, she did lose a lot blood before she arrived in the emergency room. I'm sorry to say it but, we lost her on the operating table." There was a general wave of grief in the room. The Dublin's lost it and JJ knew she was beyond helping them. Morgan hit the wall, clearly upset at being so close to saving her. It must've felt like Prentiss all over again. Reid was incredibly stoic; he looked like he was thinking about something and the team could've probably guessed what: who did this? Rossi shook his head and Prentiss did the same. Hotch took his head into his hands; for once he had no idea what to do.

They didn't say much as they decided to go back to the hotel. They would probably be leaving to go back to Quantico within the next couple of days since they hadn't been able to gain any other new information. They all said goodnight and went to their rooms.

* * *

Reid just couldn't get the case out of his head. The UnSub had left so many clues and all they had was circumstantial evidence against Helen Marks. There's no way that would pass in court. Could a teenager really be able of pulling the wool over their eyes this well? He wondered. He couldn't stop repeating the last quote in his mind. This time it was a whole poem and he had recognized it almost instantly. It was "The Happiest Day" by Edgar Allan Poe.

_The happiest day - the happiest hour__  
__ My sear'd and blighted heart hath known,__  
__ The highest hope of pride and power,__  
__ I feel hath flown.__  
_

_Of power! said I? yes! such I ween;__  
__But they have vanish'd long, alas!__  
__The visions of my youth have been-__  
__ But let them pass.__  
_

_And, pride, what have I now with thee?__  
__Another brow may even inherit_

_The venom thou hast pour'd on me_

_Be still, my spirit!__  
_

_The happiest day - the happiest hour_

_Mine eyes shall see - have ever seen,_

_The brightest glance of pride and power,__  
__ I feel- have been:__  
_

_But were that hope of pride and power_

_Now offer'd with the pain_

_Even then I felt - that brightest hour_

_I would not live again:__  
_

_For on its wing was dark alloy,_

_And, as it flutter'd - fell__  
__An essence - powerful to destroy_

_A soul that knew it well._

Reid had read the poem, as well as all of Poe's other works, as a child. For some reason it made him think of his mother.

He knew that every detail of this case fit together somehow; the literature, the victims, the insane torture device. They all pointed to one person, but whom? He knew she was intelligent and she had to have an excellent background in physics and English. She was also delusional. Suddenly he remembered his interactions with Helen Marks throughout the week.

She was majoring in physics. She aided in the library. She had been through therapy, as he had learned through Garcia. She had tensed up at the mention of Schizophrenia. All the signs pointed to her. He then thought about the poem again and suddenly it all clicked. She was going to commit suicide. He quickly threw on his coat and left his room. He thought about going to Hotch first but decided against it; time was not on his side. He would call the team when he had Helen at the station.

When he knocked on the door, he was surprised that Helen had actually answered. He was even more surprised by the fact that she went with him. He wasn't really arresting, he supposed, but she was sure to know what was about to happen. They didn't talk much during the ride, but the atmosphere remained relaxed. The officers were surprised to see Dr. Reid show up with a potential suspect so late, but they immediately called the rest of the team. Reid knew he would have some explaining to do.

**A/N: Okay so I originally planned this story to be 15 chapters but I just combined chapters 10 and 11. That means only 4 more chapters! This was really hard to write so I hope it's not too bad. Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm just gonna go straight into the story. Enjoy.**

"Reid, you better have a good explanation for this." Hotch said, clearly annoyed at the whole scenario.

"Yeah, you know we don't have any actual evidence against this girl." Morgan added.

"Actually, we do." Reid said. "And although most of it is circumstantial, the chances of her sharing so many qualities with our UnSub are almost impossible."

"All we know is that she was Will's e-girlfriend and she has a history of emotional problems." Rossi alleged.

"No, actually we know a lot more than just that." Reid stated.

"Maybe you do, but we don't." Prentiss said.

"Explain." Hotch barked.

"Well for starters, Helen injected herself into the investigation almost immediately. Secondly, she did know all the victims and had personal connections with two of them." Reid explained.

"Yeah we already knew that." Morgan sighed.

"I'm not done yet!" Reid exclaimed. "Anyway, we knew our UnSub was intelligent, particularly in science and English. Helen plans to get a PhD in physics and aids in the library during school."

"Okay, what else have you got?" Rossi asked.

"Well, finally we said our UnSub was probably mentally ill. When I drove her home the other night we were talking about my mom and as soon as I mentioned her paranoid schizophrenia she tensed up as if I had suspected her of something." Reid finished. "Psychosis is very common in those effected by schizophrenia." He added as an afterthought.

"Why did you wait until now to tell us all this?" Hotch asked impressed, but irritated.

"I didn't piece it all together until about an hour ago." Reid admitted.

"Okay, I want you to go in and talk to her. She obviously trusts you if she came with you without hesitation. Try and get a confession out of her." Hotch ordered.

* * *

Reid opened the door of the interrogation room and asked Helen if she was thirsty to which she responded with a request for a Dr. Pepper which was met rather quickly; apparently the drink was popular enough around the town that the police station kept some in stock for interrogations and personal consumption. Once Reid was seated Helen just stared at him for good two minutes. The action unnerved the young genius but he quickly shook it off.

"I think you know why you're here." Reid stated.

"Why is that Dr. Reid?" she asked.

"Are you responsible for the murders of Will Stockslager, Nathaniel Burgee, Maria Poma, and Miranda Getz?" he retorted getting straight to the point.

"You forgot about Perrie Dublin." She added quickly. "I heard Deputy Greenwood talking about it." She tried to smooth over the awkward moment but Reid had already picked up on it.

"So are you responsible?" he asked again.

"You're rather blunt for an interrogator." She smirked.

"I'm not here to beat around the bush." He explained.

"If I were responsible for five murders, do you really think I would proclaim it aloud to an FBI agent?" she countered.

"Well if you were a narcissist you would. However, I don't think you are a narcissist." Reid said.

"Then what am I, Doctor?" she asked innocently.

"I think you're a paranoid schizophrenic going through a psychotic break." He stated simply, noticing the young woman's hands clenching into fists.

"What makes you think that?" she was getting nervous now.

"You haven't been acting quite yourself lately, have you? You have Asperger's yet you managed to get on the friendly side of two FBI agents. You've managed to get through the past week without being suspected because of you were already disregarded as being, for lack of a better term, socially retarded." Reid explained.

"Well, you certainly have the whole Aspie thing down pat. Are you affected by it too? I noticed something odd about you the first time I ran into you." She smirked enjoying watching the genius struggle to skate over the sticky moment.

"That's not relevant." He barked.

"Your point?" she laughed. She knew she was screwed, she just needed to stall long enough to finish off her final victim.

"I'll be right back." Reid said and left the room. Helen was lucky that nobody had thought about taking her purse. She was sure to keep it out of Reid's view, she was sure he knew her final plan.

* * *

"She's not talking." Reid stated, clearly flustered.

"Well, she's certainly not acting like she's innocent." Prentiss noted.

"But she hasn't admitted her guilt either." Rossi said. The team was at a loss. They knew they couldn't keep Helen much longer without a confession and they knew the chances of Helen actually confessing were impossible.

"What should we do Hotch?" JJ asked.

"Either Rossi or I will go talk to her, but let's wait a few minutes. Hopefully the wait will help break her down.

**A/N: Argh! Another short chapter! Damn it all! Anyways review and stuff!**


	12. Chapter 12

Helen put her head down on the table. Yup, she was definitely screwed. At, least she was still two steps ahead of the team. She couldn't even find a reason for why she did what she did or for why she was about to do what she was about to do. She didn't feel bad about it, nor did she have any regrets or feel any hesitation. She was thankful for the extra few minutes supplied to her between interrogations as the team tried to "break" her.

The room itself was a four-wall room with no windows or video cameras, like normal interrogation rooms. The door was locked from the outside. The notable feature in the room was a row of bars around the top connecting the walls to the ceilings. She had always thought it was rather odd, but it was what it was. She would definitely be using the odd décor to her advantage. Another thing she was using to her advantage was the town of Smithsburg itself; everyone in the town always half-assed everything.

She took out her black, cloth purse and pulled out the last bit of her parchment, her quill, and an inkwell of actual ink. She penned a message neatly in her antiquated cursive and then slipped it into an envelope. It suddenly dawned on her just how lax the security system really was.

Once she finished sealing the envelope she listened for footsteps. To her surprise they were still making her wait; such a pity for them. She took out her knife and slit open her own wrist with one swift movement. She dipped the quill into the laceration and began to right her final poem. This time it was one of her own creation. It read:

_Save my love for_

_A prettier day_

_Where_

_Even a_

_Bird could sing and go unknowing_

_That never to be again_

_Is this reality known to him_

_This odd reality which has_

_Never deceived him_

_That is until now, being_

_The moment I dolefully say goodbye_

Though there was a bit of meaning in the work of prose, it was really meant as a way to address the person whom she wanted to read the letter first. She sat there listening for footsteps yet again. This would certainly be an awkward moment for someone to walk in to interrogate her again. She knew she had to work quickly. She took out a rope, the final content of her purse, and tried to tie a noose with it. It took her a couple of tries but she eventually succeeded. Then she tied the other end to a bar at the top of the room. She had to stand on top of the table to do this but luckily there was no way for anyone to see what was going on within the room.

She got down from the table and cleaned up her belongings, leaving the envelope in a conspicuous location. She then moved a chair underneath the spot where the noose was hanging. She was finally going to do it. The one thing she had set out to do all along. The one thing she had never thought about doing until the first day she saw that apparition instructing her to do so. She knew she should've told somebody about it to get the help she needed, but the hallucinations told her not to do that.

Helen Marks was finally in position. She had climbed onto the very edge of the chair and had situated the noose snuggly around her neck. She counted to three and then jumped. She felt all the life leaving her body as she focused on her final thought: the look on the FBI agent's faces when they walked in to see a bloodied and dead suspect who never had to pay the time for her crimes.

**A/N: Incredibly short but whatever I'm tired. I hope you liked it. Reviews!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Second to last chapter :'( I've had so much fun writing this! I'm glad so many people have been entertained by it.**

The team, minus Reid, sat around the station planning the interrogation approach for about fifteen minutes or so. They decided to send both Hotch and Rossi in and run the good cop/ bad cop show. They hoped that Helen would be intimidated enough to confess. They were just about to go in and begin when Reid came walking into the station with some coffee for himself and soda for a few others. They had sent him out on a snack run because the poor kid looked like he needed a break.

"Have you guys gone in and talked to her yet?" He asked setting the goodies onto the desk they were all crowded around.

"No, not yet," Hotch said, "but we were just about to."

"Has anyone been in to check on her?" he asked trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"I don't think so." Prentiss stated. "She's been pretty quiet in there."

"Reid, is there something you forgot to tell us?" Morgan asked eyeing the genius with concern. Reid felt as if his heart hap stopped, started, stopped, and then got revived with the help of jumper cables.

"But were that hope of pride and power, now offer'd with the pain, even then I felt—that brightest hour, I would not live again." He muttered suddenly remembering his forlorn interpretation of the final clue.

"What was that Reid?" Rossi asked but Reid never answered him.

"Deputy Greenwood!" Reid exclaimed with an urgency in his voice getting the officers attention immediately. "Did the officer who brought Helen Marks into the interrogation room confiscate her purse?"

"No, we weren't aware she had a purse." The bewildered deputy responded.

"Reid, what's going on?" Hotch asked sternly demanding an explanation, but Reid didn't pay him any mind. He ran back to the interrogation room, leaving the team to try and work out what was going on. Nothing could prepare Reid for what was on the other side of the door.

The table was covered in fresh blood and in the corner was a parchment envelope with writing on the front. Hanging from the ceiling was their killer, Helen Marks, blood still pouring freely from the laceration on her arm. Reid felt light headed and sat down in the nearest chair, the one that Helen had jumped off of. He picked up the envelope and read the cover, it was a poem entitled "A Valentine." Instead of reading it at his usual fast pace, he read the words slowly aloud.

"_Save my love for_

_ A prettier day_

_ Where_

_ Even a_

_ Bird could sing and go unknowing_

_ That never to be again_

_ Is this reality known to him_

_ This odd reality, which has_

_ Never deceived him_

_ That is until now, being_

_ The moment I dolefully say goodbye."_

He reread the work of prose again in his head and noticed immediately that the letter was meant for him. He heard the footsteps of the team nearing the room and he quickly read the letter within the envelope. It read:

_To—_

_I'll admit it, I did it. I'm not going to give a reason why, because I don't eve known the reason myself. However, that doesn't mean I regret what I've done or feel remorse. I'm glad I did it. The actions soothed the awful thoughts and images in my head. I'm sure you too know what it's like to be a prisoner of your own mind; perhaps not to the extent that I do, but nonetheless. I wake up every day and face monsters that no one can see, monsters that no one can even begin to understand. I wanted others to suffer physically as I had mentally, and I succeeded. Of course, that means that you have failed and I do apologize for that, but you can't always win can you? So, here is the confession you all were after, it's a shame it doesn't mean anything anymore. You're probably wondering why I chose for it to end like this and the answer is simple. All of my work wouldn't have meant a thing if I hadn't finished._

The letter wasn't signed, but it didn't really need to be. Reid, for once in his life, was confused. He had no idea how any of this had happened, but it did. He heard the team all gasp in shock as they enter the room. "The happiest day—the happiest hour." He said numbly.

"Are you saying the last poem foretold this?" JJ asked bewildered.

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying." Reid answered. "Hotch we got our confession." Reid handed Hotch the letter, but kept the envelope with the poem addressed to him. That would be his little secret. He stood up and left the room quickly without another word to the team. Morgan followed close behind him.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened in there." Morgan consoled, though he knew that wasn't the reason Spencer was upset.

"Is that how I'm destined to end up?" Spencer asked his voice sounding distant.

"You know the answer to that." Morgan said, "You know that only a small percentage of schizophrenics turn out like Helen Marks. You also know that there isn't any indication that you'll succumb to the disease."

"There's no concrete indication," Reid stated. "but I've been experiencing symptoms on and off for the past few years."

"Don't worry about it, kid. You'll be fine." Morgan clapped the youngest agent on the back and then got up to help the team with last bits of the investigation. Reid got up to join him. "Why don't you just take the rest of the night off, Pretty Boy." Reid didn't refuse.

**A/N: The first person who figures out how exactly Reid knew the poem was addressed to him between now and when I post the last chapter I'll write you a Criminal Minds one-shot of your choice. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So this is the last chapter *cries* It's probably going to be short but hopefully it will be a good way to end this. The person who figured out the poem thing is Steph who signed as guest. If you have an account please PM so we can discuss your one-shot. If you want it soon then I have to write it tonight so please contact me ASAP. Enjoy guys and thanks for sticking with me!**

The team left for Quantico that night after everything was cleaned up. Everybody was ready to get home. The plane was eerily quiet as everyone slowly fell asleep; everyone, except Reid that is. This case had troubled him more than usual. He had never dealt with a case that had hit so close to home. He tried to keep what Morgan had said earlier in mind, but it was very difficult for the genius, who for once couldn't think of anything else to think of. He was shocked out of his thought by Hotch sitting down across from him.

"Are you okay Reid?" he asked concerned.

"Yeah." Reid lied.

"Reid, you're lying." Hotch called him out.

"Okay, maybe I'm a bit worried about ending up like Helen Marks. She obviously had a great mind until it was almost literally reduced to psychotic mush." Reid confessed.

"I understand that you're nervous about schizophrenia, especially since it's a genetic trait, but only a small percentage of those affected are actually driven to commit something as horrendous as what Helen did." Hotch said, trying to soother the younger man.

"But, my entire life has been against the odds!" Reid exclaimed. "I have an IQ of 187, I read 20,000 words a minute and I graduated high school at the age of twelve! I have three PhD's and two BA's and I'm only 30. If I've gone against all of those statistics who's to say I won't be in the minority of schizophrenics."

"If you are even schizophrenic." Hotch reminded.

"I just don't want to have to stop achieving early because of a disease." He admitted out loud. It actually felt good to say it aloud for someone to hear. Hotch nodded. The young man in front of him had achieved so much in his short lifetime but he was still driven to achieve more. He didn't want to stop until he was finished. Hotch didn't say it, but the statement actually reminded him of their most recent UnSub.

"Reid, I don't think anything will stop that brain of yours." Hotch said as he got up to go back to his seat. He clapped his youngest member on the shoulder before returning.

"Hey, Hotch." Reid added.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." Reid thanked with the most sincere tone he could produce. Again Hotch just nodded in understanding. Reid laid back on the seat and closed his eyes. They were only about fifteen minutes away from Quantico, but he figured there was no better time to get some sleep than the time spent in a dark and silent jet plane.

* * *

Reid: Edgar Allan Poe once wrote, "The true genius shudders at incompleteness- and usually prefers silence to saying something that is not everything it should be."

* * *

**A/N: And- DONE! This is the first ever multi-chapter fic that I have ever finished and I want to thank everyone who has stuck with it and supported me either through reviews, follows, or favorites throughout all fourteen chapters. I hope you enjoyed this!**


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